Asiad success will popularise bridge, says coach Debasish

“Dreams come true. I just cannot express the joy in words. We were waiting for the moment for many years. Their performance will motivate youngsters to involve with the game which is probably the most scientific mind game,” said Ray.  According to him, bridge is a “mind game” with a higher number of permutations and combinations compared to chess.

He, however, lamented that the game was never in the limelight as compared to cricket or chess as card games have a stigma of gambling. “Asian Games success has attracted media attention which I have never noticed earlier. I kept getting phone calls from your fraternity after the news surfaced and it will bring awareness among youngsters. This success will change the mindset of the people,” added Ray, one of the selectors of the national team.

Bardhan’s daughter Pratirupa Bardhan was excited. “We knew that my father is one of the leading players as he had won various competitions earlier but this victory at such a big platform is very special,” she said. She further remarked that the support and encouragement Bardhan received from his wife was immense as her mother had never complained about his events for which he travels a lot.

“This is a huge gift for me. I have been facing a lot of questions for supporting my husband. I didn’t allow him to miss any of his tournaments as I knew that such a golden day was in store for him,” said Bardhan’s wife.Former President Pranab Mukherjee too congratulated the team.